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April 16
Events *1178 BC - A solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom after the Trojan War. *73 - Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the Jewish Revolt. *1071 - Bari falls to Robert Guiscard, ending Byzantine rule in Italy. *1346 - Serbian Empire was proclaimed in Skopje by Dusan Silni, occupying much of the South-Eastern Europe. *1395 - Azzo X d'Este is defeated at the Battle of Portomaggiore by Venetian-Ferrarese troops. *1521 - Martin Luther's first appearance before the Diet of Worms to be examined by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the other estates of the empire. *1582 - Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina. *1746 - Battle of Culloden *1780 - The University of Münster in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany is founded. *1799 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Mount Tabor – Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre. *1853 - The first passenger rail opens in India, from Bori Bunder, Bombay to Thane. *1862 - American Civil War: Battle at Lee's Mills in Virginia. * 1862 - American Civil War: A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law. *1863 - American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg – ships led by Union Admiral David Dixon Porter move through heavy Confederate artillery fire on approach to Vicksburg. *1881 - In Dodge City, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle. *1912 - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel. *1917 - Vladimir Lenin returns to Saint Petersburg from exile in Finland. *1919 - Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the British slaughter of Indian protestors in the Amritsar Massacre. *1922 - The Treaty of Rapallo, in which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations between Berlin and Moscow, is signed. *1925 - During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded. *1926 - Lolly Willows by Sylvia Townsend Warner is distributed as the first Book-of-the-Month Club selection. *1941 - World War II: The Italian convoy Duisburg, directed to Tunisia, is attacked and destroyed by British ships. *1943 - Dr. Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects of LSD. *1945 - The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin. * 1945 - The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) Prisoner of War camp Oflag IVc . * 1945 - German ship Goya, overfilled with refugees, sinks after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing more than 7,000 people. *1946 - Syria gains independence. *1947 - Texas City Disaster: An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, to catch fire, killing almost 600. * 1947 - Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. *1953 - Queen Elizabeth II launches the Royal Yacht Britannia. *1962 - The first CARP Rodeo began at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. *1963 - Dr. Martin Luther King pens his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham for protesting against segregation. *1964 - Sentences totalling 307 years were passed on 12 men who stole £2.6m in used bank notes in what became known as the Great Train Robbery. *1972 - Apollo program: Apollo 16 launches towards the Moon from Cape Canaveral. * 1972 - Vietnam War: Nguyen Hue Offensive – Prompted by the North Vietnamese offensive, the United States resumes bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong. *1987 - British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor appears at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London charged with gross indecency. *1988 - In Forlì, Italy, Red Brigades kill Italian Senator Roberto Ruffilli, an advisor of Prime Minister Ciriaco de Mita. *1992 - The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique. 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean. *1994 - The Super J Cup professional wrestling tournament takes place in Tokyo. *1996 - The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association achieve an all-time record 70th win in a season. *1998 - The Nashville tornado outbreak of 1998, one of the most serious urban tornadoes causes one death and significantly damages downtown Nashville. *2003 - The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting 10 new member states to the European Union. *2007 - Virginia Tech massacre, the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, leaves 33 dead. Births * 778 - King Louis the Pious (d. 840) *1319 - King John II of France (d. 1364) *1495 - Petrus Apianus, German mathematician (d. 1557) *1646 - Jules Hardouin Mansart, French architect (d. 1708) *1660 - Hans Sloane, British collector and physician (d. 1753) *1661 - Charles Montagu, British poet and statesman (d. 1715) *1682 - John Hadley, British inventor (d. 1744) *1728 - Joseph Black, Scottish chemist (d. 1799) *1730 - Henry Clinton, British general (d. 1795) *1755 - Élisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, French painter (d. 1842) *1800 - George Bingham, British soldier (d. 1888) *1821 - Ford Madox Brown, English painter (d. 1893) *1823 - Ferdinand Eisenstein, German mathematician (d. 1852) *1827 - Octave Crémazie, French Canadian poet (d. 1879) *1844 - Anatole France, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924) *1847 - Hans Auer, Swiss architect, (d. 1906) *1848 - Kandukuri Veeresalingam, Social Reformer of Andhra Pradesh, India (d. 1919) *1859 - Winifred Cochrane, philanthropist (d. 1924) *1865 - Henry George Chauvel, Australian general (d. 1945) *1866 - José de Diego, Puerto Rico statesman and journalist (d. 1918) *1867 - Wilbur Wright, American aviation pioneer (d. 1912) *1871 - John Millington Synge, Irish writer (d. 1909) *1878 - Tip Foster, English cricketer (d. 1914) *1886 - Ernst Thälmann, German politician (d. 1944) *1889 - Charles Chaplin, English actor, writer, and film producer (d. 1977) *1895 - Robert Dean Frisbie, American writer (d. 1948) *1896 - Tristan Tzara, Romanian poet and essayist (d. 1963) *1904 - Fifi D'Orsay, Canadian actress (d. 1983) *1905 - Frits Philips, Dutch businessman (d. 2005) *1907 - August Eigruber, Austrian war criminal (d. 1947) * 1907 - Joseph-Armand Bombardier, French-Canadian inventor and businessman (Bombardier) (d. 1964) *1912 - Garth Williams, American illustrator (d. 1996) * 1912 - Catherine Scorsese, Italian-American actress (d. 1997) *1915 - Gerard McLarnon, Irish playwright (d. 1997) *1917 - Barry Nelson, American actor (d. 2007) *1918 - Spike Milligan, Irish comedian (d. 2002) * 1918 - Joan Alexander, American actress * 1918 - Dick Gibson, British racing driver *1919 - Merce Cunningham, American dancer and choreographer * 1919 - Tom Willmore, English geometer (d. 2005) *1921 - Peter Ustinov, English actor (d. 2004) *1922 - Kingsley Amis, English author (d. 1995) *1924 - Henry Mancini, American composer (d. 1994) * 1924 - Rudy Pompilli, American musician (Bill Haley & His Comets) (d. 1976) *1927 - Edie Adams, American actress * 1927 - Pope Benedict XVI * 1927 - Peter Mark Richman, American actor *1928 - "Night Train" Lane, American football player (d. 2002) *1929 - Ed Townsend, American singer and songwriter (d. 2003) *1930 - Herbie Mann, American jazz flute player (d. 2003) *1933 - Joan Bakewell, British broadcaster *1935 - Sarah Kirsch, German poet * 1935 - Bobby Vinton, American singer *1937 - Joseph Whipp, American actor *1938 - Gordon Wilson, Scottish politician * 1938 - Rich Rollins, American baseballer *1939 - Dusty Springfield, English singer (d. 1999) * 1939 - Boris Dvornik, Croatian actor *1940 - Margrethe II of Denmark, queen regnant * 1940 - Benoît Bouchard, French-Canadian politician *1942 - Frank Williams, English Formula One constructor * 1942 - Jim Lonborg, American baseball player *1943 - Ruth Madoc, British actress *1946 - Margot Adler, American journalist *1947 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American basketball player * 1947 - Gerry Rafferty, British musician and songwriter *1949 - Melody Patterson, American actress *1951 - Pierre Toutain-Dorbec, French photographer * 1951 - Ioan Mihai Cochinescu, Romanian writer and photographer * 1951 - Björgvin Halldórsson, Icelandic singer *1952 - Bill Belichick, American football coach * 1952 - Billy West, American voice actor *1953 - Peter Garrett, Australian musician (Midnight Oil) * 1953 - J. Neil Schulman, American writer *1954 - Ellen Barkin, American actress * 1954 - John Bowe, Australian racing driver *1955 - Bruce Bochy, American baseball player and manager *1956 - Lise-Marie Morerod, Swiss skier *1959 - Alison Ramsay, Scottish field hockey player *1960 - Rafael Benítez, Spanish football manager * 1960 - Pierre Littbarski, German footballer *1961 - Doris Dragović, Croatian singer *1962 - Ian MacKaye, American musician, (Fugazi and Minor Threat) *1963 - Jimmy Osmond, American pop singer (The Osmonds) *1964 - Dave Pirner, American rock singer (Soul Asylum) * 1964 - David Kohan, American television producer *1965 - Jon Cryer, American actor * 1965 - Martin Lawrence, American actor * 1965 - Michael Wong Man Tak, Hong Kong actor and director *1969 - Fernando Viña, American Baseball Player *1971 - Selena, American singer (d. 1995) * 1971 - Moses Chan, Hong Kong actor * 1971 - Seigo Yamamoto, Japanese racing driver *1972 - Conchita Martinez, Spanish tennis player *1973 - Bonnie Pink, Japanese singer *1974 - Mat Devine, American singer (Kill Hannah) * 1974 - Xu Jinglei, Chinese actress, singer and director *1975 - Sean Maher, American actor *1975 - Nick Pickard, British actor *1976 - Lukas Haas, American actor * 1976 - Dan Kellner, American fencer * 1976 - Shu Qi, Taiwanese actress *1977 - Alek Wek, Sudanese supermodel * 1977 - Fredrik Ljungberg, Swedish footballer *1978 - Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer * 1978 - Lara Dutta, Indian actress *1979 - Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Swedish musician (The Hives) * 1979 - Christijan Albers, Dutch Formula One driver *1980 - Paul London, American professional wrestler *1982 - Boris Diaw, French basketball player * 1982 - Barry Jones, Scottish magician * 1982 - Jonathan Vilma, American football player *1983 - Cat Osterman, American softball pitcher * 1983 - George Patis, Greek badminton player * 1983 - Steev Lefave, Singer/songwriter for the band Help *1984 - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, American author *1985 - Mark Baker, Welsh author and historian * 1985 - Luol Deng, British-Sudanese basketball player *1986 - Annemarie Devis, Scientific author *1986 - Paul di Resta, British racing driver *1987 - Aaron Lennon, English footballer *1990 - Lorraine Nicholson, American actress *1994 - Liliana Mumy, American actress Deaths * 69 - Otho, Roman Emperor (b. 32) * 744 - al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph * 924 - Berengar of Friuli, King of Italy *1113 - Sviatopolk II of Kiev, Russian prince (b. 1050) *1118 - Adelaide del Vasto, wife of Roger II of Sicily *1198 - Duke Frederick I of Austria *1645 - Tobias Hume, English composer *1687 - George Villiers, English statesman (b. 1628) *1689 - Aphra Behn, English dramatist (b. 1640) *1783 - Christian Mayer, Czech astronomer (b. 1719) *1788 - Georges-Louis Leclerc, French naturalist (b. 1707) *1828 - Francisco de Goya, Spanish painter (b. 1746) *1846 - Domenico Dragonetti, Italian composer (b. 1763) *1850 - Marie Tussaud, founder of the Madame Tussauds wax museum (b. 1761) *1859 - Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian (b. 1805) *1879 - Bernadette Soubirous, French shepherd girl (b. 1844) *1888 - Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski, Polish physicist (b. 1845) *1904 - Maximilian Kronberger, German poet (b. 1888) * 1904 - Samuel Smiles, Scottish writer and reformer (b. 1812) *1914 - George William Hill, American astronomer (b. 1838) *1915 - Nelson W. Aldrich, American politician (b. 1841) *1928 - Henry Birks, Canadian businessman, founder of Henri Birks and Sons (b. 1840) *1930 - José Carlos Mariátegui, Peruvian journalist, political philosopher and activist (b. 1894) *1938 - Steve Bloomer, English footballer (b. 1874) *1946 - Arthur Chevrolet, Swiss-born race car driver and automobile designer (b. 1884) *1947 - Rudolf Hoess, commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp (b. 1900) *1958 - Rosalind Franklin, British chemist (b. 1920) *1968 - Edna Ferber, American author (b. 1885) *1970 - Richard Neutra, American architect (b. 1892) *1972 - Kawabata Yasunari, Japanese writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899) *1978 - Lucius Clay, American general (b. 1897) *1985 - Scott Brady, American actor (b. 1924) *1991 - David Lean, British film director (b. 1908) *1992 - Neville Brand, American actor (b. 1920) *1994 - Ralph Ellison, American writer (b. 1913) *1995 - Iqbal Masih, Pakistani child slave labourer, activist (b. 1982) *1996 - Stavros Niarchos, Greek shipping tycoon (b. 1909) *1997 - Doris Angleton, American socialite (b. 1951) * 1997 - Roland Topor, French illustrator (b. 1938) *1998 - Fred Davis, English snooker player (b. 1913) * 1998 - Alberto Calderón, Argentine mathematician (b. 1920) *1999 - Skip Spence, Canadian-born guitarist, singer and songwriter (Jefferson Airplane) (b. 1946) *2001 - Michael Ritchie, American film director (b. 1920) * 2001 - Alec Stock, English football manager (b. 1917) *2002 - Ruth Fertel, American restaurateur (b. 1927) * 2002 - Robert Urich, American actor (b. 1946) *2003 - Graham Stuart Thomas, English author and garden designer (b. 1909) *2005 - Kay Walsh, British actress (b. 1911) * 2005 - Marla Ruzicka, American humanitarian worker and peace activist (b. 1976) *2006 - Francisco Adam, Portuguese actor and model (b. 1983) *2007 - Gaetan Duchesne, Canadian hockey player (b. 1962) * 2007 - Maria Lenk, Brazilian swimmer and first Brazilian woman to compete in the Olympic Games (b. 1915) * See List of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre for the complete list ** 2007 - Seung-Hui Cho, Korean American murderer (b. 1984) ** 2007 - Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, American instructor of French (b. 1958) ** 2007 - Kevin Granata, American professor of Engineering (b. 1961) ** 2007 - Liviu Librescu, American Jewish-Romanian professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics (b. 1930) ** 2007 - G. V. Loganathan, Hindu American professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (b. 1954) * 2007 - Frank Bateson, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1909) Holidays and observances *Birthday of the Danish sovereign, Queen Margrethe, celebrated in Greenland. *Selena Day in Texas *Mawlid in Shi'a Islam (2006). *Emancipation Day in Washington * Holocaust Remembrance day Liturgical feast days in the Roman Catholic Church: *Saint Benedict Joseph Labre *Saint Drogo *Saint Fructuosus *Saint Paternus *Saint Turibius *Saints Martial, Urban, Eventius, Caecilian, Julia, and their companions, martyrs of 304 *Saint Bernadette External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:April